Robust estimator-based optimal control designs for U-tube steam generators

Abstract

U-tube steam generator level control systems are used to maintain the water level within prescribed narrow limits and to provide constant supply of high-quality steam during power demand variations. Traditional level control systems are often found to be unsatisfactory during low power operations and start-up conditions. Robust non-linear estimator-based optimal control systems are proposed for steam generator level control systems to solve the water level tracking problem during power (or steam) demand variations. It is shown that the proposed control strategies provide optimal and robust water level tracking with a single controller over the complete range of power operation with model and parameter uncertainties and noisy measurements.

PID Controller Design Based on Radial Basis Function Neural Networks for the Steam Generator Level Control

“…The level control of the steam generator is vital to achieving the abovementioned goal. However, to improve the control performance of the steam generator level control is a challenging task for the below factors: firstly, the dynamics of the steam generator are highly nonlinear; secondly, the steam generator has non-minimum-phase characteristics, which is called "swell and shrink" phenomena [2,3].…”

Variable structure controllers for unstable processes

“…Some studies have also been considered a specific variable structure system, i.e. sliding mode control methodology [36][37][38][39], for the process control systems [24,25,[40][41][42][43]. In these studies, the integral sliding surface design was used for the reduced-order (FOPDT) models of processes, and some parameter tuning structures similar to empirical PID tuning algorithms were developed for process control systems.…”